Inside Outside
by JustaFallacy
Summary: Two girls find themselves stuck inside the plot of the outsiders. I wish I was, but they are so lets roll with it. What will happen to Autumn and Valerie inside the life of a greaser? Will their decisions have an affect on the characters lives, and what will happen if they do? Rated T for violence, and later in the series and language.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own The Outsiders, and I never will. Wish I could, but that's just a dream. I ****_do _****own Valerie and Autumn though, so no stealing! First chapter story, so play nice.**

Ok, this was pretty confusing. I mean, when have I ever not known where I was? I never wandered anywhere I wasn't familiar with, so it just didn't make any sense. Pushing my gold brown hair out of my face, I looked around at the unfamiliar location where I was standing. I was on the side of a street in a rundown neighborhood. The pavement was falling apart and most of the street lamps were broken. How people could even walk around at night was a mystery to me. But by the looks of this place in the daytime, I can only imagine that it wasn't a place you wanted to be around at night. It wasn't until I looked down at myself that I was truly shocked. I was wearing dark skinny jeans, a white t-shirt and an old, thick leather jacket. For as long as I could remember I've never, ever, owned a leather jacket. I've always wanted one though, but my parents thought that it would have been a waste of money, and they never go back on their word.

"Autumn," a familiar voice asked. I turned to see the speaker and to my relief it was Valerie. We grew up in the same neighborhood and were practically sisters. She held a genuine look of fear in her face. She was dressed in a gray sweatshirt and leggings. Weird. I had seen and worn Val's wardrobe just as much as she did, and I have never seen that shirt. It couldn't be new either, because she only bought clothes about twice a year, and she had already got all of her shopping done. I should know, because I was dragged around the mall all afternoon because of it.

"Autumn, where are we?" She was clearly scared, and she wasn't alone. I was trembling. The last thought that I can remember was her and I sitting on my bedroom floor and reading a book, then something funky happened. I couldn't even remember what book it was, or what happened after we opened it. I was sure that I would remember it soon enough.

"Oh, Valerie, I haven't a clue," I replied softly. I walked over to her and embraced her. I was shaking pretty hard I guess, because she kept trying to calm me down. It wasn't working though. Then someone put their hand on my shoulder.

"Autumn, Ponyboy will be alright. Calm down already." I looked behind me to see the person talking to me. He was tall, intense looking, and very bulky. He had platinum blond hair and ice blue eyes that seemed to look right through me. He resembled an elf, or some kind of cat like animal, I couldn't place it. "Hey, if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have gotten here when we did. Pony could have been worse you know."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. This guy knew my name, and acted like he knew me. Something was up and I was going to find out what. And who was this Ponyboy kid he was talking about. I recognized the name from somewhere, but I just couldn't remember how.

"You know, when you ran to the house with Valerie saying that Ponyboy was being jumped." He replied. Valerie gave a little squeak. I guess she wasn't too excited that this guy knew her name as well. "Come on you guys, let's see how the kid is doing." Valerie and I met eyes. She nodded to me, as if telling me to follow him. So that's what we did. There were about six guys sitting on the curb smoking. They looked pretty laid back and young. I almost wanted to turn away and run, thinking that they were going to offer us drugs. I didn't want going to get messed up into anything like that, but Valerie kept walking forward, so I didn't go back. Most of them looked like they were ages sixteen to nineteen, except for one kid that looked like he was a freshmen and one who looked like he was a senior in college. The younger one looked up at the three of us.

"Hey, I didn't know you were outa the cooler yet Dally," he said. He must have been Ponyboy. His face was all cut up and bruised from being jumped, so naturally it wasn't a beautiful sight to see. He had reddish-brown hair with green-gray eyes. He looked like he was a year younger than me, so I guess thirteen or fourteen.

"Yeah, they let me out early. Good behavior." Dally replied. So that was his name. It sounded so familiar, and these people seemed familiar too. All seven of them had their hair combed back with thick coatings of grease in it, making me wonder what their hair would look like without it. "Autumn over here almost had a heart attack when she saw that you were being jumped, you know. She was screaming her head off before she told us what was even going on." I looked over at him. Did I really witness this kid getting jumped? I really didn't remember that, but shouldn't I? Considering that this all happened less than fifteen minutes ago?

"Well, of course she would. What would you have done if your sibling was getting jumped?" One replied in a jerky tone. I was stunned. Sibling? I was an only child. Did he mean Ponyboy? I gave him a puzzled look. He had dark hair and a decent build. He looked at Dally as if he was the stupidest person to have ever walked across the earth. He really shouldn't have, because I have no clue what was going on. If anyone deserved to be given that stare it should be me.

"Aw shut up Steve," one replied. "No one wants to hear it." He must have been good friends with Steve, because the subject was dropped after that. Now he was a real looker. He had similar golden brown hair like mine, but his glistened in the sun. He also had a jawline that could cut steal. He gave me a smile that could have blown me away to Mars if he wanted to. "Forget about what he said sis. We all know he's stupid." Sis? If any of this was true, I had better stop looking at him like he was a god sooner than later.

"Shut up Sodapop," Steve said, putting him into a head lock. Sodapop? What kind of name was that? Even that name sounded familiar. Was I going crazy?

"Autumn, can I talk to you for a minute?" Valerie asked. I walked over to her, wishing to speak about what was going on here. "Do you realize who these people are Autumn?" Val's reaction confused me. She sounded excited, scared, and curious at the same time.

"No. Do you?" I replied. She looked around, making sure that no one was listening.

"Autumn, do you remember what book we started to read?" I shook my head. "It was 'The Outsiders' by S.E. Hinton, one of my favorites. We read it last year in English class." She paused, allowing the information to sink in, but I was still just as confused. I gave her a puzzled look. "Autumn, we are inside the plot of 'The Outsiders'!" I gasped. Suddenly all of the names were coming back to me. Ponyboy, Sodapop, Dally and Steve were all characters in the book. I looked at them all sitting at the curb again. It then hit me like a ton of bricks. These were the real greasers who lived in Tulsa Oklahoma. Not the actors in the movie, but the real deal. I then noticed Johnny and his puppy dog eyes, full of love and fear at the same time. Next I saw Two-Bit, with his auburn sideburns and joking expression. Then I saw Darry, with his tired and concerned face that told you to back off or open up to him. I then looked back at Val. Could this really be happening?

"But how did we get in here?" I thought out loud.

"I don't know, but now we know where we are at the least." She paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "I think," she began.

"What? What do you think?" I pushed. She gave me a glance.

"I think there are some new greasers in town, and their names are Autumn and Valerie."

**Thanks for reading guys. Comments are greatly appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer- I don't own the outsiders. I only own Autumn and Valerie. Please comment or review. Thanks!**

This was so confusing. So, now I'm fifteen year old Autumn Curtis, who lives in Tulsa Oklahoma. I live with my three brothers and my parents died in a car crash less than a year ago. This was all a lie. I live in a nice neighborhood in New Jersey, with my loving and _living_ parents, whom only have me as their child. Well, except for maybe Valerie, my parents practically raised her too. I looked at Val, and began to think.

"Wait, if I'm a Curtis, who are you?" I asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out. I'll come over to the house tomorrow, and we can talk about what we learned, okay?" She had such confidence, something that I lacked. I nodded. She then turned to the boys and began to walk over to them. "Can one of y'all walk home with me?" She asked, nailing the accent. It was pretty convincing.

"Why? You've got two legs and a brain." Steve snorted. I was now behind Steve, and smacked him on the back of his head.

"Hey lay off! She's just scared, that's all. I mean, she saw Ponyboy getting jumped the same way I did. She just doesn't want to walk alone." I paused. Wow, I was on a roll here. This may not be as hard as I thought it would. "Besides, her blade broke last week and she needs to get one. We don't even know if the Socs are gone or not." I gave him a cold stare. He then proceeded to stick his tongue out at me, and I did the same.

"Sure Val, I'll walk you home," Johnny spoke up. I was glad it was him to volunteer. I knew that we could trust him, but I wasn't sure about the others yet.

"Thanks Johnnycakes," Val replied, giving a show stopping smile. Boy she was a good actor, I mean, if this was acting. She even remembered Johnny's nickname, causing Johnny to blush.

"Hey Johnny, do you want to go to the Nightly-Double with me and Dally tomorrow night?" Ponyboy interrupted my thoughts. It clearly must've done the same to Johnny, because he appeared startled when he heard his name.

"Huh? Yeah sure," he mumbled.

"Hey, can Val and I come with you guys?" I asked. I wish I had just kept my mouth shut after I said that. I know what happens at the Nightly-Double in this story. Did I really want to get involved? Clearly, Valerie felt the same way, and gave me a look. Oops.

"Sure, if you want." Dally replied. I sighed, and gave him a fake smile. I then saw Sodapop, Darry and Ponyboy get up and begin to walk away.

"You coming Autumn?" Soda asked with a grin. I smiled back. If this was what my life was going to be like, I should at least know where I live. I walked next to Darry. His eyes were very striking, they made me think of broken sea glass, soft and sharp at the same time. I wondered what other people thought of him. I know he wasn't someone to mess with, but I guess Sodapop could get away with it. Maybe I could do it too. I made a mental note to myself to try it later.

"You okay Autumn?" Darry asked, putting his hand on my shoulder. I knew that this was supposed to be a friendly gesture, but I was sure that I would get a bruise from his tight grip. I sighed and put my head on his chest.

"I'm not sure anymore Darry," I said quietly, and I meant it. He thought I was talking about Ponyboy, but I was referring to me even being here. I may not be familiar with my new "family", but I at least knew that I didn't want to worry them. I tried to imagine what I was supposed to have seen. As I thought in greater detail they went from my imagination to an actual memory.

Flashback (A/N- This is what had actually happened, not something that Autumn just came up with.) 

_Valerie and I were walking together, and saw a group of kids surrounding something. I then recognized them as Socs soon after. I heard a stifled scream and got cold. Valerie turned to me, asking what was wrong. I then looked at her, in total fear and said, "Ponyboy made that scream." She gasped, clearly terrified, and we heard the scream again._

_"__We got to tell the guys, we can't take them alone." I nodded, and we both turned to run back to the house. Ponyboy began yelling for us. Darry, Soda, and even me. I was choking up on my tears, thinking that I wasn't able to help him. I screamed for Darry, Soda, Two-Bit, Steve, Dally, anyone. Two-Bit was the first one to hear my scream. He rushed out the door and ran towards me. His smiling face quickly vanishing when he saw the fear in my eyes. _

_"__It's Ponyboy," I yelled. Two-Bit asked what happened, and I began to string together a story. I was having a hard time talking clearly, gasping between sobs, but he seemed to understand perfectly. I looked over to see Valerie explaining why I was freaking out to Sodapop and Darry. They gave me a worried glance, wondering what I must have seen, and what Pony was going through right now. I began to run back to the sight where Ponyboy was being surrounded. I couldn't stand the thought of my baby brother being hurt like that. The boys were following me, and ran even faster when they saw the Socs. One of them saw us running and alerted the others. They began to run to their car, but the gang was faster, and began to beat up the guys inside the car. I ran to the car too, and Valerie was right next to me. She grabbed onto one guys shirt collar and twisted his arm real hard. I saw the switchblade sticking out of his pocket. I gave him a dark look and punched him hard in the nose. His nose was bleeding now, which gave me some satisfaction. If he hurts my family, he hurts me. And if he hurts me, I hurt him too. Valerie gave him one more hard twist in the arm for good measure before he wiggled out of her grasp. By then the car was gone and I couldn't remember where I was. _

As I remembered what I was supposed to have just seen, I began to tear up, letting a few tears spill onto my face. That was terrifying. Darry tightened his grip on my shoulder, and brought me into a hug. Sodapop was now next to me, giving me a sympathetic look.

"You know, you and Valerie and two of the bravest people I know," he said quietly. Ponyboy was walking ahead of us, so we could talk about what had happened. Darry was walking ahead to Pony, and Soda put his arm around me. "You're great Autumn, don't let anyone tell you anything different. You're a part of the gang that cannot be replaced. Without you, we'd all be a wreck. The same goes for Val." I smiled at him. Maybe being here wasn't such a bad thing. I mean, look at these guys. If they're my brothers, than life was pretty good. I almost forgot what happens in this story. Almost. I knew that this was the only nice part of the book. Their lives only go downhill from here. I wished it wouldn't. If only their life could be this good forever. If only.

**Hope you guys liked it! Please comment, I would really appreciate it. First story, so I'd like to know how I'm doing. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome ladies and gentlemen. I give you, CHAPTER 3! (thank you for the applause, hint hint)**

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Outsiders**

I always liked chocolate cake, but after today, I'm not sure if I'll ever look at it the same way again. The boys all ate it for breakfast with their hands, eating like they hadn't seen food in years. Steve and Soda were the worst of them all. Darry and Ponyboy I guess thought that it was a little gross too, but continued to eat just the same. It was the most disgusting thing I ever saw in my life. I just sat there struck dumb, watching the idiots eat. Yes, I called the people I have known for just about twelve hours idiots. I learned throughout my life that you can learn a lot about a person from how they eat their food, and I just learned _a lot _about these guys just by watching them.

I was sitting on the couch when Valerie walked inside the house. How she managed to find the house in the neighborhood was beyond me, but I didn't need to know that right now.

"Hey," I said, smiling. It was nice to have a girl to talk to right now. Especially when they were the only person to actually understand what you were feeling like.

"Hey," she answered.

"Do you want to talk in my room?" I asked. She nodded and we walked into the room. It wasn't a lot, but it was cozy. I had a bed all to myself, which is more than what Soda and Ponyboy had, because they shared one. The room was a coffee brown with pine green accents. It matched my name, which made me feel right at home. I must have had very loving parents. We sat on the bed and began to talk.

"So, I'm Valerie Kent. Not related to anyone special. Just little old me. I guess my 'mom' left my 'dad' years ago, and now he's a drunk, but that's alright with me. Not like I'm going to be hanging around there too much anyway. Darry is practically my father in this world. I'm having all of these 'memories' involving him and I. He's really nice. You're lucky to have him as your brother. He's always been there for me I guess." She seemed totally calm about all of this. She looked like she wanted to say something, but not sure if she should or not.

"What is it?" I asked. "Come on spit it out."

"I was just thinking, well, we know what happens in the story." She started. I had no clue about what she was talking about, but I just nodded. "Well, what if we could change the story?" I thought about it for a minute. I guess we could, but what would happen if we did?

"I don't know Val. Something bad could come out of all this." I said, but she just shook her head.

"Yeah, that's exactly the point Autumn." She gave me an excited look. "I don't know, it's just a thought." I sighed. She was probably right. I mean, having an opportunity like this was something no one that we know has had before.

"Anyway, even if we did, what would we change?" I asked.

"Well, when does the rising action begin?"

"When Ponyboy and Johnny meet Cherry and Marcia."

"Yes, and what happens after that?" I hated when people knew the answers to questions but had me try and answer them anyway. Valerie knows this too, but she was just too excited to even care.

"Well, their boyfriends come and they're drunk. They take the girls home and Ponyboy falls asleep in the lot with Johnny. I think they woke up at like two thirty in the morning and when Pony gets home Darry hits him, and then he runs away with Johnny, right."

"Yeah, but what key event happens after they run away." Val looked like she was about to explode with excitement.

"The boyfriends find the two of them and jump them. Johnny then kills one of them to save Ponyboy. They then have to go into hiding to avoid the cops." I finished.

"YES!" Valerie yelled. I covered her mouth. She might get the gangs attention and they might want to know what's going on. "Yes," she whispered. I giggled. She knew how to make me laugh. "Autumn, what if we could prevent Johnny from killing the Soc, but still save Ponyboy?" Huh, maybe it could work.

"You might be on to something," I whispered.

"Yeah, I know. Isn't it exciting?" Valerie squealed. "I mean, we can be there to help get Ponyboy out of the fountain, and Johnny won't have to kill one of them."

"I don't know Val. Let's just see how things play out, okay. Who knows what will happen to us tonight at the Nightly-Double." She sighed and nodded. I knew that this was all too good to be true. "Alright, now let's pick out what I'm going to wear tonight for the movie." I broke the silence. She looked up at me with a great big smile.

"Ok, let's look at your closet. I'll probably keep on what I'm wearing," she replied. She was wearing a light wash pair of jeans and a white V-neck. She also brought a black jacket with her, but she took it off. We opened my closet and saw what we had to work with. I didn't have a lot, but everything went together, so I had endless possibilities of what to wear. I pulled out a pair of leggings, and some white converse sneakers. Valerie looked at them and nodded in agreement. She then pulled out a jean jacket with a brown t-shirt. I slipped on my clothes, and went around looking for a makeup bag. I finally found one, and put on some eye shadow, and handed it to Valerie. She took it and started to apply some on herself. We looked at each other, checking to see if anything was wrong with what we were wearing. After seeing nothing, we walked out and went to the living room.

"Hey, Pony?" I yelled. I wondered if he heard me, because there was no response. I was about to call again when he came into the room, dressed and ready to go. "You ready?" I asked. He nodded, and we walked out of the house. We met up with Dally and Johnny near the convenience store. It was still early, so we just walked around. We went into a few different stores to go "shopping". I guess these guys weren't too familiar with the idea of paying for the items you want to have. I swiped a switchblade for Valerie and me. Who knows when we might need to use them? Ponyboy, unfortunately saw, but I told him that we could share it, because Sodapop and Darry wouldn't let us have one. He accepted the deal, and I gave the other blade of Valerie. Johnny and Valerie were talking a lot. I think he liked her, like, like liked her. He was always blushing when she talked, and he was a little bit more talkative around her. It was really sweet. If only things didn't play out the way they did. I knew that Val was thinking the same as they were talking. I could see the pain in her eyes as he talked about how he hated this place and he wanted to leave. By now it was finally dark, and we were heading towards the movies. We found our seats in front of the concession stand, and I saw two girls sitting up front. I knew that they were Cherry and Marcia.

"Hey Val, do you want to sit up with them?" I asked. Sure they were Socs, but I remembered that they helped the gang during the rumble, so they were cool. She nodded. It might be nice to talk to some other girls for a change. "Hey, mind if we sit with y'all?" I asked. The accent was getting easier and easier as time went on.

"Sure, if you want." Marcia said. We sat behind them and began to talk. They were really nice, even nicer than I imagined. Marcia was really funny too. When she pulled out a pack of cigarettes I kind of gasped. "What?" She asked, looking puzzled. "Oh, that. Well, no one knows I smoke except for Cherry and now I guess you two. Please don't tell anyone, okay you guys." I nodded, completely understanding. She was done with the joint by the time Dally came to annoy the girls. He was mostly bothering Cherry, and boy she was getting mad. Marcia, Valerie, and I were struggling not to laugh at Dally being told off my Cherry. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen. Then Cherry started to talk to Ponyboy and Johnny. It was so cute, because this was one of the only times that Ponyboy ever talked to a girl other than Valerie and me, or so I assumed. While Ponyboy, Johnny and Valerie were all talking to Cherry, I kept talking to Marcia. We exchanged phone numbers, because I miraculously memorized mine which was written on the fridge. I told her that I'd call her soon. She seemed like a nice friend, someone who I could trust. Just then Two-Bit came over and gave me and Johnnycakes heart attacks. I smacked him on the arm, but he didn't care. He started to flirt with Marcia, saying the weirdest things. He was drunk, I could tell. Marcia just played along, laughing at him the entire time, and gave him a fake number. I couldn't wait to watch him call the number and realize that it wasn't hers. I held back my laugh. This was turning out to be a pretty fun night. Everyone got up to walk back to Two-Bit's car because volunteered to drive Cherry and Marcia home.

As we were walking, I noticed a blue mustang trailing us. "Marcia," I yelled. She turned around and looked at me. She then saw the car behind me and yelled for Cherry.

"It's the boys, oh what will we tell them?" She was worried. I then saw Cherry bite her lip.

"Just stay calm, ok?" She replied. They were scared. The boys came out of the car, and they were wasted. They exchanged some words, and Two-Bit and Marcia's boyfriend, Randy, were yelling at each other. He then handed Ponyboy a broken pop bottle for defense. Ponyboy wasn't sure what to do with his new weapon except to just gaze at it blankly. He wasn't very scared, just confused on why the Socs were there in the first place. Johnny, on the other hand, was scared stiff. I overheard him mumble something about rings, and I remembered why he was so scared. This was the same guy that jumped him, giving him that nasty scar on the side of his face. Valerie noticed this to, because she gave Johnny a supporting squeeze on the shoulder. Cherry agreed to go with the boys and Marcia obliged. She then told Ponyboy goodbye and walked away. I waved to Marcia, and she gave me a sad smile. The car was gone, and we all started to walk home.

"Do you want to stay at my house tonight?" I asked Valerie.

"Sure. I mean, if it's okay with Darry," she replied. Ponyboy then said he was going to hang out with Johnny for a little bit, and we walked home. When we got back it was ten o'clock. I told Darry that Ponyboy was with Johnny and that Valerie was staying the night with us. He just nodded and went back to reading his paper. We went to my room and went right to sleep.

I woke up to a slam of the door. I looked around, startled, and woke up Valerie. We got up and left the room to see what was going on. I saw Darry and Soda staring at each other, shocked.

"What's going on here?" I asked. Valerie looked at me worriedly, like she knew what had happened. When I realized what she was thinking I stared at her. "No, Valerie. You're wrong." I said. "Darry, what did you do?" I demanded.

"I..," he stammered. "I hit him. I hit Ponyboy." He spoke so softly that I barley heard him. I was shocked. Oh no, this couldn't be happening.

"Valerie, get our coats, we're going after him." She gave me a smile, and ran off. "Sodapop, you too. And bring your switchblade." He gave me a confused look, but didn't argue, and got up. I may have had a different opinion earlier today, but I know the Socs we're dealing with here. No one was going to hurt my baby brother tonight, and no one will die.

**Thanks for reading! Hope you guys liked this one so far. I'm so evil, cliffhangers. Don't you just love them? Please comment, I want to know how I'm doing. I appreciate all my followers, so thanks. I'll update soon, so don't you worry. **


	4. Chapter 4

"Soda, we need to go to the park," I demanded.

"Why?" Soda asked. "Autumn, tell me what exactly we're doing, you're pretty terrifying when your intentions aren't clear." If only he knew.

"Because Ponyboy might be there, and we can talk some sense into him. I mean, he has no reason to be mad at us." Valerie answered for me. It was a good alibi. Soda just shrugged and we began to jog. My blood turned cold when I heard screams.

"Ponyboy," Valerie spoke my thoughts. Sodapop and I began to run faster. We stopped when we saw the Socs. The three of us simultaneously flicked out our switchblades. Soda then looked at me and the blade in my hands with curiosity.

"When did you get that?" He pressed.

"Earlier today, does it matter? Look what they're doing to Ponyboy and Johnny!" I exclaimed. I had a point, so Soda just turned back to the Socs.

We charged at them. Most of them were at the fountain, but I wanted to get Johnny up first. We needed everyone we could get. Valerie had the same idea as me, and we jumped on the backs of the two Socs beating up Johnny. He was able to get up and join us. They were getting beat pretty bad, so they ran back towards their car.

The three of us then ran to the fountain, were Soda was surrounded by Socs. We all got on top of each one. Ponyboy was getting up now and was ready to fight. I grabbed one of them by their shirt collar with my left hand and punched him in the gut with my right. Johnny had one pinned to the ground and Pony kicked him. Bob and Soda were having it out near the playground, and thankfully, Soda seemed to be winning. Bob started to run away, but not to their car. He was running towards us.

He had a blade out, flinging it around wildly. He had a dangerous look in his eyes. Randy had wiggled out of Valerie's gasp and pushed her backwards. I was about to run towards her, but then Bob jabbed his switchblade into Valerie's gut. She staggered, staring blankly at the ground. Everything was going in slow motion now. I looked at Bob, whose evil grin had vanished, realizing what he'd done. Randy stood there stunned, looking at what he had witnessed. The two of them ran off when I screamed bloody murder and began to run towards Val. She collapsed to the ground, and I grabbed her. Johnny was right next to me.

"Val? Valerie answer me!" I yelled at her. She had grown pale, and her hands were clutching where she was stabbed. She looked dazed.

"Did we win?" Valerie whispered.

"Yeah, we beat those Socs good, and I think that guy you had will have a scar for life on his face." I said. She tried to laugh, but winced after she tried. Besides, this was no laughing matter.

"Are Johnny and Ponyboy ok?" She asked, clearly concerned. It was amazing that she was in this condition and was worried about the others more than herself.

"Yeah Val, we're ok." Johnny choked. His eyes were tearing up, but I was almost ready to bawl. "Val, I want you to know that I love you. For years you were like a sister to me, but I've loved you for a long time now. You ought to know that." Johnny confessed. She looked at him, and smiled weakly.

"I know. You weren't very good at hiding it. Come closer." He smiled and did what he was told. She then kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, Johnnycakes, for being there. I love you too." She then turned her head to me. She was breathing so lightly I could barely see her chest move.

"We got to get her back to the house. Darry might be able to patch her up." Soda demanded. He knew deep down inside that there was no hope, but he wanted to give her a fair chance at life. He crouched down, and was about to pick her up, but Valerie stopped him.

"Soda, it'll do no good. Just let me lie here." She rasped. This couldn't be happening. She should be living the happy life of a teenager, where all you have to worry about is if a boy likes you or what you will wear on a date. She should live a normal life, meet the man of her dreams and get married. She should have kids and watch them become parents, and die at an old age with her family surrounding her, not somewhere she wasn't familiar with. This is not how people should die, and especially not her.

"Autumn, take care of them for me, ok. You might not find a way home, but these guys need you now. I know it will be hard, but you have to do it. For them. For me, please. Take care of all of them." I was sobbing now, having a difficult time breathing.

"No, you'll be fine Val. Come on, stay with me." I sobbed.

"Take care of them for me, no matter what. Promise?" She mumbled.

"I promise Val. I swear." I cried. I felt her body grow heavy in my arms. I looked at her cold dead face, and kissed her forehead. I then laid down her body, stood, up, backed away and broke down.

I screamed and cried. I knew she was gone. Valerie, the most perfect human being on earth was dead to the world. Gone, never to return. She was the only person who didn't belong here, like me. In the real world she was like my other half, but she physically was here. I had lost a part of myself tonight.

Tonight, we were supposed to have saved a life. The person we saved repaid us by killing one of his saviors. I felt Sodapop embrace me. I know that it was supposed to comfort me, but I think he did it to comfort himself as well. I sank to the ground with him, screaming and crying into his chest. How was I going to move on? How were any of us going to move on?

I looked at Ponyboy, who just stood there crying. He was almost drowned tonight, and because we saved him and Johnny, Valerie was dead. Johnny just sat next to her lifeless body, and brushed the stray hairs out of her face. He was crying too, but he wanted her to look peaceful. He took off his jacket, and covered her wound. He was trying to make her look asleep, but we all knew the truth. Johnny then got up and hugged me. Soda left, I presumed to get Darry. We both sobbed together, and Ponyboy sat with us a minute later, joining us in sorrow.

Darry came rushing back with Sodapop, skidding to a stop when he saw Valerie.

"Val?" His voice cracked when he saw her. He bit his fist, and came toward us. He sat down next to her and looked at what shouldn't have been. "How could this happen? She's fifteen years old. This can't be true." I learned earlier that Darry had always been her father figure. So seeing that she was gone was liking losing a sister, or a child.

Two-Bit, Steve, and Dally were there soon after. I guess Soda had called them. Dally turned away and began to sob. He then sank to the ground and shook, rocking back and forth. Dallas Winston, the toughest of the tough, was crying about Valerie Kent. He then went to her body, and began to shake her lightly.

"Come on Valerie, don't leave us. Come on, we need you. I need you. Come back. Don't leave us like this you little punk! You can't do this to us, to me. Come back! PLEASE COME BACK!" he stammered. "Please." He then crawled towards me, and smothered me into his chest. He was crying onto my shoulder, and I onto his. Dally had his emotions hidden inside of all of us, and now, one of them was let loose, on the run. It was dangerous, like he was when let loose.

Two-Bit and Steve were silent for a little while, trying to get themselves to realize that this had actually happened. This wasn't like a TV show, where the character dies and is almost forgotten by the next episode. No, this was real. This would haunt our memories for the rest of our lives, making us wonder what could have caused this and why we couldn't or didn't stop it. The last part would trouble Ponyboy, Soda, Johnny and I for a long time to come. Two-Bit walked over to comfort me, while Steve looked for something to break. Johnny got up and offered me his hand. I took it and stood up. I was shaking so hard that I needed both Johnny and Two-Bit to support me while I walked. When we reached Valerie's lifeless body, the whole gang sat around in silence.

"I want to say a prayer." Ponyboy spoke up. I looked at him, such a sweet kid. He looked at all of us, looking for an approval.

"Go ahead, kid," Dally spoke shakily. "I could use something like that right about now."

Next he looked at me.

"Ponyboy, please." I stammered. "I don't think I could do it, not now."

He reached out for our hands, and everyone held onto each other's. I squeezed Two-Bit and Johnny's hands tightly, and they squeezed back.

"Lord, we might be that saddest looking bunch of rag tag kids you've ever seen, and you're probably right. Some of us don't ask enough from you, and others ask too much. Please forget all of that for one night, and hear our prayer for Valerie Kent. The Living have lost one of the most beautiful, funny, and kind people we have come to know. She deserved so much more that what she got, but instead of turning sour, she used the darkness in her life to create goodness. Please treat her as well as you can. Tend to her needs, and help her. Let her know that she will always be remembered by us and countless others."

I looked across from me to see Steve Randle quivering in his tears. He was shaking so much that he had to lean of Darry's shoulder for support. Steve, like Dally, kept his feelings for others to himself. Dally and him had cared for Valerie deeply,bu t never had the chance to tell her how much of an asset she was to their lives. Ponyboy sighed and looked to me, asking if he should continue. My lip quivered and nodded. Pony took a deep breath and continued.

"She gave her life to save me tonight. I probably didn't deserve it, but the fact that she thought it was worth it shows her virtues. Hear our prayer tonight of all nights, and help her be happy where she is heading." He paused, choking on his words. I thought he couldn't go on, but he took a deep breath and continued.

"Because anywhere right now would be better than her life was in shitty, lousy Tulsa Oklahoma. Amen."

"Amen," we all chanted. Next Ponyboy pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and handed one to each of us. He got his cigarette to stand up on its own next to Valerie, and took out his lighter. He lit up his cigarette and let it burn, making it look like a candle. The smoke was curling into all sorts of different shapes in different sizes. It was beautiful, considering what we had available to us. He passed the lighter around, asking for us to do the same. When it was my turn, my hand shook when I tried to light it, and Johnny had to help steady it while Two-Bit made sure I didn't knock the joint over. When it was lit, I passed it on and closed my eyes.

"I promise Valerie. I swear."


	5. Chapter 5

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! Lets get 2015 started with a new chapter of this story. It took me a really long time to write this so I hope you enjoy. I want to thank all of my followers and reviewers. I know I pulled a hard one in the last chapter, but I wanted it to lead up to this chapter so you can see different sides of the characters we have come to know and love so much. And now, what you've been waiting for...CHAPTER 5!**

I cried myself to sleep when we got back to the house. I must say that it was the most peaceful sleeps I've had in years. When I woke up in the morning, I thought that I was back home, in New Jersey. I would walk out the door to my parents watching TV like they did every Saturday morning. They then would say good morning and ask if I wanted to do this weekend, and we'd have a great day together.

I realized that was a lie when I looked around my room. Next I tried to lie to myself that last night didn't even happen. I got out of bed, and dressed slowly. I wore a black shirt, just in case my lying wouldn't work. When I got near the living room, I knew that I couldn't pretend that this didn't happen anymore. The guys were all here, sitting around in silence. Last night after we called an ambulance to come, they all slept over at the house. I guess they couldn't handle being alone; then again, neither could I. All of their eyes were puffy and red, but they looked like they were glowing in health compared to me. My face was blotchy and I had makeup smeared under my eyes, because I didn't bother to take it off last night. My eyes were also inflamed like the rest of them, but my voice had given out from all of my crying and screaming.

The boys hadn't seen me yet, so I turned around and decided to wash up. I was depressed and I felt like crap, but I wasn't going to let this be an excuse for not looking my best. Or at least the best I could look right now. The shower water was cold, but I didn't mind. I was too deep in thought to notice. The shower was over quickly, because I knew that we had to save money on water to avoid costly bills. I took out a wash cloth and did my best to wipe off the stray makeup from underneath my blue-green eyes, but some still lingered. My hair was brushed into a ponytail, because I was too tired to do anything else. I sighed. Maybe today will get better. And if not today, then maybe tomorrow.

When I walked back out of the bathroom and into the living room, Dally was the first to notice me. I guess he was almost thinking that Valerie would be here and all of this was just a sick dream. Unfortunately, this wasn't the truth, so he gave me a sad smile. I returned it to him. I then sat down on the couch next to him and he put his arm around me. On the other side of me was Johnny. He was staring off into space, which is something Ponyboy did more often than he did. I looked around the room. Where was Ponyboy? And where was Darry and Soda for that matter?

"They left to tell her father," Two-Bit answered slowly. He must've read my mind. "They thought that it would have been too much for you." I sighed and nodded. It probably would have been.

"Do any of you guys want breakfast? I can make some if you want." They nodded and I got up. I pulled out the eggs from the fridge and took out a pan. They were all going to have scrambled eggs with chocolate cake whether they liked it or not. I didn't think that would be too much of a problem, based on how we were all acting. When I was finished, I plated the eggs and put them on the table. Everyone sat down and began to eat. We were all so quiet. The guys were eating politely this morning. I guess they don't eat politely because they are cheerful, or wanted to annoy someone. Today was not one of those days.

I heard the door swing open and slam shut. I looked to the doorway and saw my brothers, looking like hell. I guess Mr. Kent gave them a difficult time. Even if he was a drunk, I could only imagine what he was feeling. Even if he didn't love her, she was still his daughter, and now she was gone.

"Hey Autumn," Darry mumbled. He looked just as bad as the rest of us, so did Soda. Ponyboy, on the other hand, might have looked more like me. His hair was a mess and his eyes were reddened. He looked worse because of his bruises from last night. I knew that Ponyboy was blaming himself, when he really shouldn't. It was all my fault, and Johnny and Soda knew it too. They just didn't want to admit it.

"Hey guys," I replied. "I made eggs, there is still some left if you want any."

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks for offering though," Soda answered. Now that was weird. Soda was almost always eating. Maybe not eating as much was how he grieved. Kind of the opposite of what most people do. I wonder if he did this when his parents died, but I couldn't ask him that kind of question. Darry and Ponyboy sat with all of us and began to eat. I looked at the gang, and everyone was silent in thought. I had to get away from all of this, so I got up and went outside to sit on the porch. I just needed some time to think about anything but what had happened last night.

"Autumn?" Someone asked. I looked who was talking and saw Ponyboy. Next to him was Johnny. I looked at them. What did they want?

"Can you guys just leave me alone please? I can't deal with this right now." I asked.

"Nope, you're stuck with us." Johnny said with a weak smile.

"Yeah. We know you want your privacy and all, but we were kicked out." Ponyboy continued. Huh? Why were they kicked out?

"How are you feeling?" Johnny asked.

"You know damn well how the hell I'm feeling." I snapped.

"I know, I know. But we want to hear it from you." Ponyboy responded. I grunted, and he sighed.

"Remember when mom and dad died?" I didn't, but I just nodded anyway. "Well, I decided that it would have been the best if I just locked up my emotions and hid them from the world. Do you know what happened after I tried that?" He asked. I shook my head. "Well, I couldn't get over the fact that they were gone. Our parents, loving and kind, were gone. We wouldn't ever see them again as long as we lived, and I had a hard time taking that all in. Also, because I was holding my feelings back. I couldn't tell anyone, even you, how I was feeling. Because I was hiding it from the world that was all I could think about."

"Luckily, Darry and Sodapop noticed and sat me down to talk. After I told them, they helped me through it. I know people say that after you tell someone something you feel better, but at first you don't. But if you don't tell them, well you'll end up being a time bomb, just waiting to go off. We kept this from you because you were going through it all by keeping your distance and talking to," He paused. I knew the name of the person before he even said it.

"To Valerie," I finished for him. He sighed and nodded.

"Anyways, we knew that you'd get worried and forget to take care of yourself first, because it was a miracle that you were at this time. You have a nasty habit of doing that. Valerie did too. Like how she was last night." I let out a little squeak. Last night.

"You see, sometimes talking about your troubles helps you feel better. The fact that you're admitting what your feeling helps a lot." Johnny spoke up. "Last night was when I told Val that I loved her. If I hadn't told her then, I would have driven myself crazy just thinking about whether or not she knew or if she felt the same way." I felt my body begin to shake. Ponyboy and Johnny both came over and sat next to me. Johnny put his arm around me and Pony put his hand on my knee.

"I feel like shit, okay. I know that everyone does right now, but I feel like that's what I am. If I hadn't let you two go to the lot last night, you wouldn't have been out so late. If I hadn't asked if Valerie could stay the night, she might still be alive right now. Then she wouldn't have been dragged into this mess and everything would have been fine."

"If only, if only, IF ONLY!" Johnny exclaimed. I never expected such an outburst from him. I guess he was surprised to, because he had a sorry look in his eyes, asking for forgiveness. I nodded, giving it to him. "Look, if I had been a better person, I would have told Valerie that I loved her a long time ago, and maybe she would have fought harder to stay alive."

"Hell, I think when you're dying slowly, the longer it takes to die only shows how much you want to stay." He paused for a moment. "She was gone so quickly, and I can only think that she didn't want to stay with us. So stop beating yourself up about all of this, alright. Valerie wanted to go, and no one was going to stop her." I stared at him. I never thought about it that way. He then turned to Ponyboy. "That goes for you too Ponyboy. They was drowning you, and if Valerie and Autumn hadn't have come, I might've done something that I'd regret for the rest of my life. I would have killed one of them. I had the switchblade ready in my hand too. But Autumn and Valerie came and saved you, saved me. When the girls came they saved me from a fate that I would have regretted for my entire life. YOU DID NOTHING WRONG!" I hugged Johnny and Ponyboy. Here I was thinking about how I was going to move on when I over-looked the fact that Johnny and Ponyboy were on the verge of breaking, and they both need me to be there for them. I vowed to take care of these guys for Val, and I intended to keep it that way.

A car pulled up in front of the house and two people got out of it. I heard their footsteps as they were coming closer. Ponyboy had gotten up as soon as the car pulled up to greet them.

"Is it true, did she really?" One asked. I recognized the voice, but I couldn't place it. I looked up to see Cherry and Marcia standing in front of Ponyboy and talking. Marcia then saw me and walk over to us. She knelt down and hugged me.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. She had tears in her eyes. Cherry came over a moment later.

"Who did this," she said. I looked straight into her eyes. I was mad at them, even though I should have been. Cherry's boyfriend killed Valerie, not her. At the same time I blamed her and Marcia, because if they hadn't left their boyfriends they might not have come after Johnny and Ponyboy, and this whole mess could be avoided. I pushed these thoughts aside, because they were my only friends that I didn't look to as family.

"Bob," I whispered. I knew that this would hurt Cherry. I mean, to realize that someone you love killed someone innocent would scare anybody. Cherry's reaction, however, surprised me.

"I knew it," she said bluntly. I was shocked. I was expecting her to deny it and say that he would never do something like that. I gave her a puzzled look. "Bob, Randy, and the other boys in the car that picked us up came to my house really late last night, asking to lay low there for a couple of days at my house. I was so surprised, but my parents let them in. Now I know why. I'm calling the cops."

"No," I said. She gave me a puzzled look. "Randy and the other boys didn't kill Valerie, Bob did. Sure they tried to drown Ponyboy and were beating up Johnny, but we got them out of those situations. We beat them up for doing that, but what Bob did was out of the question. Call the cops on Bob, not anyone else." Cherry just stared at me.

"Well, still they tried to drown Ponyboy like you said, and they were beating up Johnny. Doesn't that count as a crime to you?" She asked. Ponyboy looked at Cherry and started to talk in a low voice.

"They were drunk and didn't know what they were doing. Everyone has gotten into a fight before, and most of us have been jumped. In a fair world all of the people who jumped us would be in jail, but that's just not the case," Ponyboy said. "I forgive the people who were drowning me, but I will never, ever forgive Bob. I forgave him for trying to drown me, but he couldn't take that and he decided to kill an innocent instead." He began to cry a little. "BOB KILLED VALERIE AND I WILL NEVER FORGIVE HIM FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE!" He yelled. Cherry came over to Ponyboy and hugged him.

"Here, I'll call my parents and have everyone go but Bob. Then I'll call the cops and Bob will be hauled away." Cherry's plan seemed fine to me, and let's hope that it would work. Cherry asked if she could use our phone and we all went inside. The rest of the gang was sitting around the table, talking about something. When Darry saw the girls he gave me a questionable look.

"They're friends of ours and they need to use our phone," I answered Darry. When Cherry was done making her calls, she and Marcia left. Before leaving, Marcia turned to me.

"I'll call you later, okay. To check up on you."

"Thank you," I said. I was glad I had Cherry and Marcia to catch me when I needed someone to. When they drove away, Two-Bit got out of his seat and stood next to me.

"Feeling any better?" He asked with concern.

"Not really, but now I know that I need to take care of y'all first."

"I'm sorry about all of this." He looked like he meant it too.

"Aren't we all," I replied. "Why were Pony and Johnny kicked out?"

"Well apart from us wanting the two of them to find out how you were doing, we didn't want them to really be involved in the conversation."

"And what conversation was that?" I asked. He looked at me with pained eyes.

"Arrangements for Valerie's funeral." I was stunned, a little mad even. Before I could even stop myself I was walking over to the table with the rest of the gang, and sat down dragging Two-Bit, Johnny and Ponyboy with me.

"I _really_ wish you would have included me in this conversation." I said bluntly. Everyone stared at me, as if I had grown a second head.

"Well, we didn't think that you'd be up to it that's all," Soda answered.

"Yeah, I mean, no one was as close to her as you were. We thought that this would only upset you." Steve added.

"Yeah, because none of y'all feel like shit thinking about this either," I snapped. "Yes, she was my best friend, but doesn't that mean that I should be involved? I mean I knew her the best, and now she's gone. Shouldn't I have a say in my final goodbye to her?" I sighed. "Ponyboy and Johnny shouldn't have been excluded either. They saw her go down just the same as I did."

Surprisingly, Steve got up and gave me a hug. "We're sorry Autumn, we didn't know that you'd think that. I mean, our makeshift funeral is all she really needed I think." I nodded. Ponyboy's funeral procession was truly beautiful, making any other attempt look like child's-play.

"So, when is it?" I asked.

"Wednesday, Mr. Kent wanted it as soon as possible." Soda answered. This upset Darry something awful. He quickly jumped out of his seat and walked out of the kitchen.

"The damn drunk didn't even care about her, and _he_ wants it done as soon as possible!" Darry cried out. "HE DIDN'T EVEN GIVE DAMN THAT HER DAUGHTER WAS MURDERED BY A DRUNK JUST LIKE HIM LAST NIGHT!" I ran over to Darry and made him sit down on the couch. Darrel Curtis was always there for the gang, even when he felt like he was going to break. I remembered from the book that Darry didn't even cry at his parent's funeral, but was there to comfort his brothers. Loosing Valerie was unbearable, but he was strong enough to tell her father that his daughter was dead. Valerie was like his own sister, but he was her father figure.

"Darry, that man was not her father. A father is there for their child through thick and thin. A father will care more about their kid than themselves. That man was only her father by birth, but he didn't do anything to help raise her. You were her father figure. That fool didn't give her the emotional or physical support she needed. We fortunately had loving parents Darry, but not everyone does." I was trying to calm him down. He was crying onto my shoulder now.

"Yeah Darry. I mean, look at my home life man." Johnny spoke up. "Look at Dally or Steve's fathers even. They don't care about us, and neither do we. Valerie never cared for her father. She cared about you. She cared about all of us. That's what made her special."

"I just. I just can't believe she's gone." Darry cried.

"I know Darry. I know." I replied, choking on my words. I then realized why this was all so hard on Darry. What kept him going after his parents died was the fact that he had himself thinking that nothing like that would happen to him again, but it did.

"Nothing like this should happen to anyone, but life can be crappy sometimes and we have to deal with it." Darry looked at me.

"How do you do it? You were the closest to her and here you are trying to comfort me about her dying. How?" He asked. I looked at him, and then the rest of the gang. They were all looking at me for the same answer.

"Because I made a promise to Valerie that I intend to keep. I promised to look out for you guys the way that she and I never could. Now and forever you can come to me if you need a shoulder to cry on, or an ear to chew off. I'll be there." My eyes were tearing up now. "I know that I can't be perfect right now, because I'm hurting more than you can imagine, but I'll push that all aside until I know that y'all can handle things yourselves."

The gang just stood there silently staring for a minute. Dally motioned for me and I got up. When I reached him, he hugged me. He then kissed my forehead. Don't get any ideas. It was like a brotherly kiss.

"You won't have to do it alone," Dally said. "Because we all made a promise too."

"And what was that?" I asked.

"When we got back to the house, the whole gang made a vow." Steve answered.

"We vowed that we wouldn't let anything like that hurt you the way that this did again," Ponyboy added.

"Because you're our rock, and rocks sink in deep water," Johnny said.

"We promised that while you keep us from drifting away, we'd prevent you from sinking, no matter what," Two-Bit spoke up. Soda came over to me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"That was our promise to Valerie."

**I hope you guys enjoyed this, please comment what you thought about this chapter. Also, I'm struggling about how to continue this story. I have like ****_zippo_**** ideas. I would really appreciate some suggestions.**


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